Attorney General Aaron M. Frey has filed a civil complaint under the Maine Civil Rights Act in Sagadahoc County Superior Court against Andrew Pinkham, 44, and Ranada Pinkham, 43, of Bath. The complaint alleges that the Pinkhams targeted their neighbors, a Black family originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with racist and xenophobic harassment. The Attorney General is requesting that the court bar the Pinkhams from contacting their neighbors.
According to the complaint, hostility from the Pinkhams began when the Congolese family moved next door in April 2024. The Pinkhams allegedly used racial slurs towards their neighbors, stating, “I don’t want dirty [racial slurs] living near us.” On or about May 26, 2024, Ranada Pinkham was recorded on cell phone video yelling, “I’ll tell you what, I can’t wait for the [racial slurs] to come out.” Additionally, they have reportedly banged on shared interior walls at all hours. The complaint states that this behavior has caused fear among the victims’ children.
“The victims in this case were relentlessly targeted in their home because of who they are and where they come from,” said Attorney General Frey. “When the legislature amended the Maine Civil Rights Act in 2023, this was exactly the type of conduct it intended to prohibit.”
The Maine Civil Rights Act prohibits violence or threats of violence and property damage motivated by bias against a person’s race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. A newly amended section also prohibits causing serious emotional distress due to such bias. Violating an injunctive order under this act is a Class D crime punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
The Attorney General’s Office expressed gratitude to the Bath Police Department for its investigation into this case.